Dutch Immigration Service Pays Double Penalties Despite Fewer Applications in 2025
The Hague, 18 March 2026
The Netherlands’ immigration authority faced a costly contradiction in 2025: whilst receiving fewer applications across nearly all categories, penalty payments to delayed applicants soared to €79 million—more than doubling from €36.8 million the previous year. Despite processing 25% fewer asylum applications, waiting times stretched to 67 weeks, leaving over 51,000 people in limbo by January 2026. The approval rate plummeted from 58% to just 36%, whilst family reunification cases now take approximately 22 months to resolve. Director-General Rhodia Maas acknowledged the mounting pressure between accuracy and timeliness in decision-making, as the service grapples with systemic delays ahead of new European asylum regulations taking effect in June.
Asylum Processing Backlogs Persist Despite Lower Application Numbers
The stark reality of the IND’s operational challenges becomes evident when examining the asylum figures for 2025. First-time asylum applications decreased to 24,070, down from 32,180 in 2024 [1]. Despite this -25.202 reduction of approximately 25%, the service struggled to clear its backlog. By 1 January 2026, over 51,000 people remained waiting for decisions on their asylum applications [1]. The average waiting time in the general asylum procedure stretched to 67 weeks [1], creating a bottleneck that generated substantial financial penalties for the Dutch state.
Approval Rates Plummet Amid Extended Processing Times
Perhaps more concerning than the processing delays was the dramatic shift in decision-making outcomes. The approval rate for asylum applications fell sharply from 58% in 2024 to just 36% in 2025 [1]. This -37.931 decline of nearly 38% suggests either a fundamental change in the profile of applicants or a tightening of approval criteria. The combination of longer waiting times and lower approval rates created a perfect storm that maximised penalty payments, as unsuccessful applicants still received compensation for delays regardless of their final outcomes.
Family Reunification Cases Face Unprecedented Delays
Family reunification applications, known as ‘nareis’ cases, presented another area of significant concern for the IND in 2025. The number of such applications decreased dramatically from nearly 47,000 in 2024 to 15,000 [1], representing a -68.085 reduction of approximately 68%. Despite this substantial decrease in new applications, pending family reunification cases only fell from over 66,000 to over 52,000 [1]. More troublingly, waiting times increased to approximately 22 months [1], nearly double the standard processing timeframe. During 2025, approximately 16,500 family members of status holders managed to travel to the Netherlands [1], suggesting that the processing system continued to function despite the delays.
Leadership Acknowledges Systemic Pressures
Director-General Rhodia Maas candidly addressed the service’s difficulties, stating: ‘I feel responsible for this. At the same time, it is unfortunately not easy to improve this quickly’ [1]. She further acknowledged the fundamental tension facing the organisation: ‘The accuracy of our decisions comes first, but timeliness is an inseparable part of that. That balance is under pressure’ [1]. The IND also reported an increase in public inquiries, handling 585,580 telephone calls in 2025, up from 495,700 in 2024 [1]. Complaints decreased to 3,750 in 2025 [1], though this may reflect resignation rather than satisfaction among applicants facing extended delays. Looking ahead, the European Asylum and Migration Pact will come into effect on 12 June 2026 [1], potentially adding new regulatory complexities to an already strained system.